Singapore- monthly living expenses?

Question

How much cash will I need to spend a month in Singapore ?
Suppose I don't spend too much on transport but prefer walking & mainly spend on food/water.

Answer 1

Hmm wow! I totally do not agree with the answerer that said you'd need upto $3000 a month to live here in Singapore!

Singapore can be an expensive - or cheap - place to live, depending on how you live!

You can find food that is generally very, very cheap, if you eat from hawker centres. The food tastes pretty good, plus it's clean, so I'd recommend it. Plus shopping at the supermarket is really not that expensive here, compared to some of the prices I've seen whilst living in Europe! Of course, if you compare the prices here in Singapore to that of say, Thailand or Malaysia, it's a lot more expensive here - but hey, comparitively with the safety and cleanliness you get here plus the salary you should be earning, it's not much at all.

Transport, should you need to take it, is mid-range if you stick with busses, and the occasional train.

Hope that helped! :)

Answer 2

You can find a quite nice 2 bedroom condo for 1600 if you take your time to look around. My place is on the east coast and it's in that price range. It includes a beautiful swimming pool surrounded by lush gardens, a tennis court, 2 squash courts, and saunas. If you're willing to live somewhere without these 'extras' then it would be quite easy to find something cheaper. A friend of mine has a very large 3 bedroom place and pays 1300 but there is no security personal, no gardens, swimming pools, etc. It's just the apartment. It is in an Excellent location though and there is a gym and swimming pool right across the street where they get a very good discount with the apartment anyway.

If you don't have debts to pay at home and your just paying for your day to day living expenses, $3000 Singapore is very doable. I'd give $200-300 per month in bills, take a taxi to work each day would be about $400-$500 a month (assuming you live within a few KM). Your food costs will vary widely but it is possible to eat very well, very cheaply. There are these 'hawker centers' all over the place where $3 will give you a very tasty and filling meal. If you do breakfast at home, hawker meals for lunch and dinner, and eat at a mid-priced restaurant 2-3 times per week you can get by on $300 or less per month for food. So, that is all of your basic expenses covered for less than $1200 per month without living particularly frugally. The other $1800 will cover you for clothing, entertainment, travel, etc.

If you enjoy the nighlife you'll find a considerable amount of money spent on nights out. A pint of beer generally costs from $10 - 16 and cover charge at a club could be as high as $30. To spend $200 on a night out is very easily done. On the other hand, you can have a night out without spending too much money if you limit the number of drinks you have at bars/ clubs.

Teachers at International Schools generally get a starting pay of $6000-7000 plus a housing allowance similar to what you are being offered. The lower end schools offer a smaller housing allowance and $4000-5000 in salary. These are the less reputable schools where turnover is higher and less emphasis is placed on teacher retainment.

If your position is in ESL and your salary package is $3000 + $1600 housing, I think you're doing quite well. Getting a package in the upper range of the salary you mentioned would make life much easier and would allow for a short weekend trip to nearby countries each month.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Singapore- monthly living expenses?
How much cash will I need to spend a month in Singapore ?
Suppose I don't spend too much on transport but prefer walking & mainly spend on food/water.

Answer 4

Wow....that's a tough one. Singapore is an absolutely beautiful city, but boy is it expensive. If you eat out 3x per day, and limit only one meal to a nice restaurant, you could easily spend $75/per day.. I'd take a minimum of $2500 for the month but closer to $3000 if you can afford it.